Affandi

Sardjana Sumichan, Affandi: Volume II, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2007, p. 188, colourplate 132

The work is in good condition overall as viewed. The paint layers and impastos are healthy. Upon very close inspection, there are very faint areas of paint shrinkage at black pigment, but only visible under a flashlight. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no visible signs of restoration. Framed.
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In an effort to shatter the rose-tinted glasses of the idealized Mooi Indie (Beautiful Indies) style that pervaded Indonesian art during the colonial era, Affandi depicted in the body of his art a more realistic image of his nation. Portraying scenes from village life with palpable emotion, the artist captures candid and unglamorous moments that truly convey the authentic, Indonesian experience. The spontaneous and uninhibited process of painting itself is highly relevant to Affandi’s works. With his quintessentially thick swirls of paint, Affandi painted in the manner of an Action Painter, vigorously motioning as he applied pigments directly from the tubes and then smeared them across the canvas with his fingers and palms. By eliminating the barrier posed by a paintbrush, the artist could feel unified with his art, which essentially became an extension of his very soul.

In Pigs Market, Affandi depicts an ordinary and anonymous pig seller, who exerts himself as he energetically seizes a group of black pigs with his net, causing a swarm of roused boars to dart. The seller appears so in tune with the act of catching pigs and so comfortable with his tool as he forcefully gesticulates. The sight is viewed from an aerial height above the pig seller, such that the scurrying pigs appear to color the entire surface of the canvas with a sporadic black pattern. While Affandi could only depict a single moment from this ongoing and motioning event in his two-dimensional canvas surface, he skillfully manages to create the effect of rapid movement through his violent strokes of color, which seem to vibrate with the rhythm of life. This painting becomes an irregular network of lines, scribbles and blobs of color, truly representing the chaotic nature of the event, creating a vortex of motion.

It is manifest in Pigs Markets that Affandi felt a profound affinity towards the working class. The present lot epitomizes his compassion for the people of his nation that were often deemed insignificant by artists before him. Immortalizing individuals ranging all social classes, he sought to determine the pan-Indonesian cultural identity through his vibrant paintings. A true patriot and visionary, Affandi stands one of the pioneers of modern art in Indonesia.